Families: Change and Development

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Conduct primary, personal research on own family experience
   • Construct multigenerational family genogram, examine family history for themes and patterns and present written analysis of learning.
2. Develop an understanding of the relationship between individual development and family dynamics
   • Describe and apply theoretical frameworks (e.g., family life cycle and family systems theory) to personal history
3. Think critically about families in context
   • Examines family from macro and micro perspectives
   • Describe impact of gender, culture, socio-economic status and stress of families
   • Examine the impact of social networks on families
   • Apply family systems theory to families
   • Demonstrate relevance of diversity in families
4. Describe professional role of social service workers with client families
   • Demonstrate respect for families
   • Demonstrate understanding of the variables that are used to assess family level of need
   • Examine own values and attitudes towards families
   • Understand the importance of accepting that family may have many different structures in addition to the traditional nuclear form
   • Understand the supportive role of the social service worker
5. Examine the nature of crisis, stress and change from a family systems perspective
   • Apply theoretical models of crisis, stress and change in families
   • Explain social service worker’s role with families in crisis
6. Examine importance of self-awareness in reflective practice
   • Explain how one’s own family background shapes both personal life and approach to working with others
   • Describe how the conscious use of self is part of one’s own professional practice model